Train Ride
by That Wise Guy
Summary: Experience a simple train ride with a much older Ash and Serena as they head off to Coumarine City to see their son and an exhibit going on there. For Ash, he just wishes the ride was faster. Amourshipping. One-shot. Older!Ash and Older!Serena


Man, writing this one-shot was an absolute blast! I always loved the idea of an older Ash... a much, much, much older Ash. This was something I wanted to test out. I based this off my own experience riding a train. I didn't enjoy how long it took, despite it being 'fast.' However, I digress. This is the longest one-shot I have ever written and it's my absolute favorite one. I think this is my best one out of all the others I've ever written. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

If you can, review and let me know how you feel about it! I always love seeing how you all react to this.

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Riding on a train was always a dull experience, or at least that's what he believed. However, as much as he detested it, he did have to admit it was faster than walking. He no longer had the energy and stamina to walk far distances, he wasn't as young as he used to be. No, he wasn't crippling old either, but his age was getting to him.

He used to love traveling around, with friends and Pokémon by his side as he would try and be the best, like no one ever was. He accomplished many things in his life, but being the best wasn't one of them. Truth be told, he didn't mind not being the best. He had long since found better things in life than worrying about being the best Pokémon trainer there ever was. Life had thrown him a huge curveball and it changed him, for better or worse was something he didn't care for. It was his life now and he loves it regardless.

That's not to say he doesn't love Pokémon battling. He will always have the childlike wonder when it came to watching his children battle – hell, he still battles once in a while! True, he's not old by any stretch of the means, he's only 50, but he had long since retired from the active battling life style. He gave it up around the time his children were born and while at times he misses it, he'd rather let his children take the spotlight instead.

"Ash, dear?" he heard his wife call him curiously. He turned his head to see her stare at him with a questioning gaze, holding his hand with hers. He gives her a small smile, which she returns, and he knew it made them both feel better. To the both of them, a simple smile always carries a big meaning and it hasn't changed. Not for the past 20 years they have been married.

He gives his wife a chaste kiss on the cheek and she leans closer to him, holding his hand closer to her lap. It always gave her comfort and it still does, he never realized how special he was to her until they got together in their teenage years. He still regrets the fact he never was able to fully reciprocate her feelings until the near end of their journey when he reached the Pokémon League.

"Yes, Serena?" he asks her gently.

To him, it's like time stood still for her. Even now, she still has a youthful face, even at 50 years old. She never did anything to make herself seem young, she just naturally does. Despite looking youthful, she also carries the countenance of a mature woman, one who was proud to be a mother and wife, while also being prideful of the legacy she has created. During her time, she reached her goal of being the Kalos Queen, narrowly beating Aria in the showcase. She has been on record for having been the Kalos Queen for several years longer than Aria herself, though she quickly retired shortly after pregnant with their son.

She decided it was time to fully settle down.

At first, Ash felt bad for making her quit something she was passionate for, but she quickly dismissed it. To her, family will always be more important and she once said to him, "While being Kalos Queen was amazing, it was also time I looked forward to the next chapter of my life: a life with you and our child." He took what she said to heart and shortly after their first born son's birth, he retired from his spot as the Kalos Elite 4 Member to stay and be with his new family.

They were well off, even after their retirement, as they took small jobs on the side just to appease their restlessness. Serena became an instructor for amateur performers. She taught at several locations in Southern Kalos, often showing up to give lectures. Many took her words to heart and some went on to accomplish several victories for their own performances.

Even though Ash retired his spot, he was still welcomed to work with the League and would often help his colleagues with their own Pokémon battling or just go teach children the basics of battling. That came to a surprise to Ash when he found out the Pokémon League in Kalos offered training sessions for beginning trainers or children close to being trainers.

"You look distant right now, dear, is something the matter?" she asks with a small frown, staring at him with a now worried gaze.

He smiles lightly and shakes his head, "No, no, dear. I'm just thinking how I hate train rides. They're so slow. For a so called 'bullet train,' it sure takes long to get to Coumarine City.' He states with his limited patience showing. Even now, he still lacks much patience regarding traveling and Serena just laughs softly at his complaint.

"Dear, they do have to do stops once in a while, so you can't expect them to get there within an hour," she chides him playfully as she gives him a teasing smile, "besides, I never knew you were so excited to just leave me alone."

He gives her a mocking glare, knowing full well she didn't mean it and decides to humor her, "Hmph! You know I'm staying!" He exclaims with a haughty tone and she kisses his cheek lightly, making him harrumph even more.

"Oh, you big baby, I was kidding," she states with a playful roll of her eyes.

"Chu…" They both hear their long time Pokémon partner/pet wake up with a groan, looking up at them with a yawn. To this day, Ash never evolved his beloved Pokémon and Pikachu grew up, no longer the battling mouse it once was. It can still battle, but it was reaching its old age and it preferred to nap more. Serena loved having Pikachu with her as they would always cuddle when Ash was away and she loved his soft fur. She usually brushed it and Pikachu would love the brushing, making it nap even more.

To Ash, he knew Pikachu only had a few good years left in him, but he was content with how things were planned out. Both he and Pikachu agreed to just let things happen and right now, Pikachu is just enjoying its life as a simple pet.

"Did we wake you up, buddy?" Ash asks softly as Pikachu stares at him and shakes his head, going to his trainer's lap and licks his chin. The man scratches his partner's ears, much to the satisfaction of his Pokémon.

Serena smiles, watching their interactions, before going to her bag and pulling out a basket full of macarons, "I bet you're hungry, Pikachu." She opens up the basket and to Pikachu's delight, there were so many macarons! They all look so scrumptious! She saw his look and offered a yellow one with a small cherry on it, "Here you go, this one is made just for you." She feeds him it as if he were a baby and it nibbles it with a happy demeanor.

"Pika!" He praises her baking yet again as he feels rejuvenated from the macaron! It feels like it can handle one more battle!

"Well, I'm glad you like it, Pikachu! I have more, but we must save them for when we arrive," Serena says, but yawns. Covering her mouth, she smiles with a sheepish countenance, "Guess the train ride _is_ a little on the slow side, hehe."

Ash smirks at his wife, "Told you."

"Quiet you," she punches his shoulder lightly and smiles, "You know… we're also going to meet up with our son there."

"Frederick or Lyon?"

"Frederick, dear. He is our tour guide for this event. Remember, it's a grand opening and they want us to appear as the guests of honor. Frederick says he also has a surprise for us."

Hearing the word 'surprise', Ash snorts lightly, ignoring Serena's deadpan countenance, "I don't do well with surprises… Not anymore - Not since Clemont nearly had built us a robot nanny when our kids were newborns. Luckily it didn't explode… in front of them."

She rolls her eyes at that, replying with a small pout, "I thought Clemont was a sweetheart doing that for us, though I suppose he could have tweaked her a little bit. She was absolutely helpful at first." She gives a small laugh, "Though, it did help with him making a new one."

Ash couldn't help but nod, "Yeah, now _that_ robo-nanny I can deal with… though she tends to be very sassy. What do we call her again?"

"I believe she likes to be called Rosy," Serena answers with a smile. She always loved Rosey, but she did get very snarky with Ash a lot, much to her amusement. Ever since their first 'robo-nanny' malfunctioned, it took a while for Ash to forgive Clemont for almost putting their children in harm's way. Serena was more forgiving, but she did give Clemont a mouthful. He has since learned from his mistakes and made them a new one, with Ash quickly forgiving him. It always made her laugh at how her husband was so amazed by their friend's inventions, even after getting mad.

They've been using Rosey to help with taking care of their children and taking care of the house when they were away. She also remembers Delia wanting one due to Mimey's unfortunate passing. It left her alone, causing Ash to quickly ask Clemont to build one for his mother. However, it seemed things were getting romantic between Meyer and Delia, much to their shocks. Truth be told, they weren't really upset with that. Bonnie was ecstatic over it.

The three hear on the intercom, "Ladies and gentleman, we'll be arriving to Coumarine City in about 45 minutes. I repeat, we'll be arriving to Coumarine City in about 45 minutes." It quickly went silent and the three sigh in relief. Finally, the train ride will end. For Ash, it meant more torture as waiting makes him annoyed. For Serena, it meant she can see her son after not seeing him for a while.

Frederick was their third, and last, child. He was the more 'Ash'-esque child they've had. He was determined, energetic, and always on the move. He looked more like Serena, but he did have his father's skin tone and eyes. He went on his journey shortly after he turned 10. His two older siblings, Lyon and Aurora, went on their journeys beforehand and he quickly was able to catch up to them. As of now, he has since became a member of the recently created Kalos Battle Frontier.

To that's not to say they weren't bad trainers, they just did things differently. Aurora, the oldest of the three, wanted to be a Pokémon Coordinator since Pokémon Contests were now a booming industry in Kalos; it still didn't compare to the Showcases, but it was nothing to scoff at either. Aurora became a Top Coordinator in Sinnoh and is trying to take the spot of Top Coordinator in Kalos.

Lyon was the more reserved of his siblings, as he tends to be more withdrawn. Though, he has made some close friends from his journey around Kalos and Unova. He made top news for once getting all 8 badges within around 2 months, the fastest anyone has ever done so. Lyon is often considered the strongest of his siblings, but he doesn't ever go to the Pokémon League strangely enough. He has only done it once when he was in Kanto, visiting his grandmother who suggested to do it at least once. He made it to Top 8, to which he was satisfied with.

For both Serena and Ash, they're happy with how well their children have been doing in their lives. Serena never pushed her children into something they wouldn't enjoy, as she knew the feeling of being forced into something. Ash was more complacent and usually let them decide what they would do, so long as it wasn't anything that they would regret.

"I wonder how Frederick is doing," Ash mused as he turns to see the countryside. It never ceased to amaze him how Kalos still looks the exact same way it did when he was younger. Kalos has that certain magic to it he wishes it will never go away. He still loves Kanto and often visits from time to time, but Kalos became his new home.

Serena winks playfully, "If he's anything like his father, probably training his butt off as he waits for us to arrive. I swear, that son of ours is just a younger you," she dramatically puts her hand over her cheek, "I can only handle one Ash!"

The only thing Ash could respond with is a sarcastic laugh, "Oh harhahar, Serena."

She kisses his cheek lightly and chuckles, "Oh dear, you're grumpy again. You didn't take your nap, hm?" She asks with a playful smile, enjoying pushing her husband's buttons. They both do it and it only makes them closer as they both know to laugh at each other's shortcomings. She laughs as all Ash does is stick his tongue out like a petulant child.

"Hmph, I'm not grumpy, am I Pikachu?" Ash asks his faithful partner, but gives a small chuckle as his best friend is busy talking to another Pikachu on the train ride. It seems this younger Pikachu finds his to be a "wise man." With that said, Pikachu is practically showing off to it.

"Chu! There you are!" a young boy exclaimed as he ran up and picked up his Pikachu, who looked sheepish. The boy frowns, "You shouldn't leave my sight like that, what happens if the train stops and I couldn't find you?"

The young rodent has his ears down in shame, but the boy just holds it tightly, "It's fine, Chu. I was just worried… Huh, who's this?" He stares at the older Pikachu, which just waves at it happily.

"Pika!"

"Wow! Is that why you left? To see this Pikachu? Man, it looks experienced!" the boy states excited to see such a strong Pokémon in front of him. Ash's Pikachu blushes from the praise as it rubs the back of its head the same way its trainer does it.

"Thanks, young man!" Ash states as he gets out of his chair and picks up his Pikachu, grunting lightly. He looks down at the boy and feels like time has reversed. The boy reminds him of himself when he was younger. The boy had spiky black hair, which was covered by a black and red hat, with the Pokéball insignia engraved in white. He was wearing a dark blue jacket with white linings and black jeans. But what mattered mostly was the fact he felt he can see the fire within the boy's eyes.

"What's your name, young man?" Ash asks politely as he gives off a smile, which the boy returns tenfold. Definitely like a younger Ash.

"The name is Darren, sir!" the now identified Darren replies, before introducing his Pikachu with a grin, "and this is my partner 'Chu'! He's been my buddy since he was a small Pichu!" The aforementioned buddy then chirps his name as he gets down to play with the older Pikachu.

Ash smiles, nodding in approval, "A pleasure, Darren. Ah," he turns to his wife and helps her up, "this is my wife, Serena."

Serena smiles, bowing, "A pleasure, Darren. This is my husband, Ash. We saw your Pikachu play with ours and we heard your worry. We would have been able to take your Pikachu to the front and ask around for you. You really care a lot about Pokémon, hm?" She gives him a motherly smile as she too sees an uncanny resemblance between the boy and her husband.

Darren then realizes who the two are and stutters, "W-wow! A-Ash and Serena Ketchum!"

"Chu?!" Chu squeaks as it realizes who it was playing with and looks at Ash's Pikachu with more respect, making the said older rodent develop a larger ego. It flexes playfully, but Ash flicks its head lightly, much to its chagrin.

"Now, now, there's no need for you to be star struck, young man," Ash says with a smile, "we're just like you and everyone in this train."

"Ah, right, right… Sorry!" Darren apologizes as he smiles shyly, "I'm just a huge fan of yours, Mr. Ketchum! You too, Mrs. Ketchum! I just didn't expect you both here…" He then blinks in confusion, "If you don't mind me asking, what you are doing here?"

Serena gestures for them all to sit down, to which they all do, and she then offers a macaron to Chu. The young Pokémon takes a bite and quickly squeals happily, eating the entire macaron within a couple of nibbles. Darren smiles, "Thank you so much, he was certainly getting hungry."

"It was no problem of mine," Serena replies with a smile, "And to answer your question, we're going to Coumarine City as well to see an exhibit and our son will be giving us a tour." She then offers another to Chu, after giving one to Pikachu. They both eat theirs happily and Ash gives her a small chide about how she's spoiling Pikachu and how he's going to get fatter than he already is.

Pikachu didn't take it too kindly and gave his trainer a minor zap, irritating him. Serena and Darren laughed as the two argued a bit.

"Ahaha! That's awesome, Mrs. Ketchum! Coumarine City is my hometown and I was planning on visiting my mom again, she's been sick for a while now and I want to help her get better." Darren states, slowly getting worried for his mother. Chu notices and tries to nuzzle with Darren, attempting to make him feel better.

"Awe, you poor boy," Serena sympathizes and pats his hand and Ash nods with a small frown, "well, I'm glad you're going to see her. You'll do get her better in no time, I'm sure of it! Remember to never give up until the very end, dearie."

Ash nods with a passionate smile, "As my wife said, don't give up. Always go for broke; do your best and she'll get better in no time! I, no – we – have full faith in you, Darren." He feels revitalized from the small pick-me-up speech as he realizes he loves helping others in need. It's always been in him to help someone.

The couple see Darren tear up, before rubbing his eyes with his sleeves, "Thanks a lot, Mr and Mrs. Ketchum! I really needed that!" He states as he has the fire return in his eyes. He then notices the staff were checking for tickets and he gets up, "I better get back to our seat. It was an honor to have met you both!"

"Likewise!" They both state with a smile.

"Oh and… Mr. Ketchum? Uh…" he looks incredibly nervous, but he continues when Ash gives him a small nod, "Will you give me a battle one day? I know you're retired and I,"

"Of course. It will be my honor, Darren. Come by to Vaniville Town and look for me. I think you have what it takes to be a great trainer and who knows? You might beat me." Ash gives him a wink, "Go for broke, young man. 'Never give up until the end,' let that guide you and you will go far."

Moved by the speech, Darren nods and runs off, "I will and thank you!"

"Chu!" Chu waves good bye to them as they both run off to their seats, far from where the couple were sitting at.

Ash sighs, but chuckles when he realizes his sort of grumpy mood has passed, "What a nice boy, eh?" He turns his head to stare at his wife and she gives him a nod, smiling ever so happily. He knew she was happy to have helped in anyway. She seemed more at peace than anything else, he noticed. "Something on your mind, dear?" He asks inquisitively.

He was given a small kiss on the lips, to which he returns lightly and the two pull away when Pikachu gives a fake cough. The two glare at him playfully, but he just ignores it as he yawns and goes for another nap. Playing used up a lot of energy and he wanted to rest before they got to Coumarine City. Serena gets out a brush and begins to brush Pikachu's fur, much to his delight.

"Cha…"

Ash repeats his question again and Serena gives him another kiss, but just a peck this time as she explains, "It's just… I sort of miss us being young again, you know? But at the same time, being here and helping him made me feel like the way things are is all I need in my life. I just need you, our Pokémon, our children, and our friends and family. When Darren was here, I was happy to see the young boy in you shine and also live on in another person. Makes me glad there are still those who treat their Pokémon with love and respect."

All Ash could do was process what she said, but he smiles nodding and he closes his eyes, "I agree. It's an amazing feeling. I too miss being young, but I agree with everything you've said. Truth be told, I envy how you still are the same since you were younger. You're an incredible woman, Serena."

"Oh stop it, dear! You're making me blush!"

He was about to continue out, but they hear on the intercom that they were about to reach Coumarine City in about 10 minutes. Ash smiles, "I'll get our bags ready. I can't wait to see Frederick. You think we'll see Lyon and Aurora?" He asks, hoping to see his other children.

Serena nods, "Let's hope! They did promise after all and you know how those two keep their promises!"

They both feel the train begin to slow down a couple of minutes later.

"Ladies and gentleman, we have now arrived at Coumarine City. Thank you for riding with Pyroar Bullet Train Express. We hope you all will ride with us again."

Serena smiles, "I'm so excited, Ash!"

Ash gives off his own smile as he helps her and Pikachu out to the aisles, as he carries the bags, "As am I, my dear." They both get out and enjoy the smell of the fresh air, savoring the smell. They love the good ol' outdoors smell!

"Mom! Dad! Pikachu!" The three turn to see their three young adult children run to them happily and Serena runs to them happily as well!

"Aurora! Lyon! Frederick!" They all enter a group hug as Serena tears up, "Oh, I missed you three so much!" She begins to dote on the three, much to their embarrassment and Ash laughs, going up to them, giving them all a hug.

"I'm happy to see you three as well. You all should contact your old man more often!'

As they all talk and help their father carry the bags, Ash turns to see Darren looking around awkwardly. He smiles as he raises an arm up, waving. Darren sees it and gives an enthusiastic wave back, his mood lifting yet again. He runs off, Chu behind him every step. 'Good luck, kid! Things will get better," he thought as the boy disappeared from his sight.

He heard Serena call out to him as she cocks her head to side curiously, "You okay, dear?" She asks innocently and he smiles, kissing her head. She closes her eyes, enjoying the kiss. She feels Ash's hands grab hers and he walks with her to their children.

"Never better."


End file.
